Move Over Laws and Responder Safety

A guest post by LMCIT Public Safety Specialist Troy Walsh

I am hoping that by now you are familiar with the Minnesota Ted Foss Move Over Law — M.S. 169.18 Subd. 11? These are specific laws that help stopped emergency vehicles with flashing lights activated by requiring drivers to move over and leave an empty lane between their vehicle and emergency vehicles. This law was put in place to help protect Minnesota’s first responders while working on our roadways.

Laws and enforcement are not always the end-all of violations or violators because the public is more distracted today than ever. The state of Minnesota and lawmakers have worked for many years to make everyone safer on the roads, including first responders.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report on Move Over Laws and Responder Safety. Despite Move Over laws in every state, first responders remain at risk for being killed or injured by passing vehicles at roadside emergencies. 

In December 2020, the GAO reported to Congress on the impact of state Move Over laws. State officials cited raising public awareness as the most prevalent challenge, as motorists may not know the law exists or its specific requirements. Read the GAO's report here.

The U.S. Fire Administration and Public Education

The U.S. Fire Administration reports that 12% of on-duty firefighter fatalities occur each year while responding to or returning from incidents, with the majority of fatalities resulting from vehicle crashes. Vehicle collision is the second leading cause of firefighter fatalities.

How can we get better at educating the public about first responder safety? The Emergency Responder Safety Institute has some tools that your agency can use not only for internal staff training but for public education:

• How to Safely Pass An Emergency Scene is a four-minute video that shows what drivers should do and should never do!
• Responder Safety has videos and education materials about various subjects related to roadway incident safety that can be shared with the public.
• Slow Down Move Over has more videos and best practices, and can act as a great public service announcement (PSA)!

The Emergency Responder Safety Institute also has tools for staff training, including a number of Roadway Safety Shorts training videos that illustrate key safety practices when responding to roadway incidents such as lane blocking, fire apparatus backing safety, and safe positioning for an ambulance at roadway incidents.  

Guest blogger Troy Walsh

Feel free to use the links above to get the word out to the public — include them in a city newsletter or play the videos at fire hall public events. 

Highway safety has always been an issue for first responders, and continuous public education and first responder training is critical in ensuring a safe scene!

If you have any questions, you may contact Troy at twalsh@lmc.org or give him a phone call at (651) 281-1231

Remember: Responder Safety = Public Safety

Up next: Background Investigations and the Minnesota Human Rights Act

In the meantime, stay safe and be careful -
Troy